When Montana Governor Judy Martz announced Wednesday that she wouldn't seek re-election, she joined a growing list of governors who have chosen to leave statehouses across the country.

Lots of new governors on way

Besides California, three states will hold gubernatorial elections this year and 11 next year. Already, at least half are sure to elect new governors because of retirements and term limits.

A look at the election calendar:

2003

State

Governor

Status

Kentucky

Paul Patton (D)

Term-limited

Louisiana

Mike Foster (R)

Term-limited

Mississippi

Ronnie Musgrove (D)

Seeking re-election; close race

2004

State

Governor

Status

Delaware

Ruth Ann Minner (D)

Expected to seek re-election

Indiana

Frank O'Bannon (D)

Term-limited

Missouri

Bob Holden (D)

Expected to seek re-election; may face primary

Montana

Judy Martz (R)

Retiring after one term

New Hampshire

Craig Benson (R)

Expected to seek re-election

North Carolina

Mike Easley (D)

Expected to seek re-election

North Dakota

John Hoeven (R)

Expected to seek re-election

Utah

Mike Leavitt (R)

Nominated to head EPA

Vermont

Jim Douglas (R)

Expected to seek re-election

Washington

Gary Locke (D)

Retiring after two terms

West Virginia

Bob Wise (D)

Retiring after one term

Source: USA TODAY research

She became the third governor this week to announce plans to leave office. West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise said Tuesday that he won't seek another term, and Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt was picked by President Bush Monday to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

Although credited during the booming economy of the 1990s for innovative leadership, many governors now face criticism for tough budget choices and voters turned off by their missteps in office.

The National Governor's Association, which meets this week in Indianapolis, found that 37 states had to slash budgets by nearly $14.5 billion, the largest spending cut in the survey's 27-year history. There also have been tax and fee increases, a net increase of $17.5 billion.

"This is not a great time to hold office in the executive branch of government," political analyst Stuart Rothenberg said.

• Martz' first term was marred by missteps and plummeting popularity. The Republican was criticized after a 2001 drunken-driving crash involving her chief policy adviser, Shane Hedges. The accident killed Montana's House majority leader, a passenger. Martz was ridiculed for washing her aide's clothes shortly after the crash, an act she said was a motherly reaction. Her approval rating hovers at about 20%.

• Wise won't run again in West Virginia in 2004 after acknowledging an affair with a state employee. "I've caused my wife significant pain," Wise said Tuesday.

• Washington Gov. Gary Locke, chairman of the Democratic Governors' Association, said last month that he would not seek a third term next year. He cited family considerations. Locke, 53, was the country's first Chinese-American governor and was the Democrats' choice to answer President Bush's State of the Union address. His state shed thousands of jobs after the economic downturn in the technology sector.

Two-term Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton, chairman of the governors association, said that if there's a bad time to be a governor, it's now.

"Even under the worst of circumstances, there are positive things a governor can do," said Patton, a Democrat finishing his final months in office. "But relatively speaking, I don't know of any time that it has been as bad."